Junior Wins NPR Podcasting Honor

Webb’s Shuci Zhang ’23 has been recognized with an honorable mention in the 2022 NPR Student Podcast Challenge, a competition that drew more than 2,400 entries from 45 states and the District of Columbia.

Zhang’s podcast builds on lessons she learned as part of a re-envisioning of KWEB – Webb’s longtime radio station – as a podcast generator in 2021-22. In the episode, she explores the gentrification of Seattle’s Central District, a historically black community.

“I just love producing radio stories,” Zhang said. “I love how sounds transcribe humanity. I love how podcasting continues the tradition of oral storytelling, the way our ancestors first learned to bond.”

Zhang created the episode for her own podcast, Calm & Furious, which explores modern feminism, sociology, social movement and cultural phenomena. She condensed the 17-minute story to just seven minutes for the podcast challenge.

“I ended up liking the short version more than the long version because it was just so on point,” she said. “It just feels great to have your hard work recognized by a professional organization. This gives me a lot of confidence.”

To report the story, she visited the Seattle community during Thanksgiving 2021 to conduct interviews with residents and business owners over three days. She also connected with sources over social media.

Zhang, who will be the Webb Canyon Chronicle’s audiovisual editor in 2022-23, said she will incorporate KWEB’s podcasting platform as the campus publication expands its use of new media.